Robots are automated devices which are able to grasp and manipulate objects using end-effectors or robotic manipulators. The robotic manipulators are interconnected by one or more actuator-driven joints. Each joint of a typical robot represents at least one independent control variable, i.e., a degree of freedom (DOF). A typical multi-axis industrial robot has 6 DOF. Control of one such robot is considered routine. However, interference zones may be present in the overlapping motion paths of two or more robots. The presence of such interference zones can complicate the control problem.
When multiple robots are used within a shared workspace, a single controller may be used to automatically coordinate the motion of the robots using a serial handshaking protocol. As understood in the art, serial handshaking dynamically sets the required parameters of any communications channel or link to be established between two robots or other networked devices before communication over the channel can properly commence. A serial handshaking protocol can lose its effectiveness as the number of DOF in the robotic system increases.